


Beauty Regime

by Spacecarrots



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Angst, Developing Friendships, Dissociation, Grief/Mourning, Gueira shows up drunk that’s all, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, It’s no explicit in this but the mad burnish bois are good at stealing things jsyk, M/M, Multi, Platonic Cuddling, U kno those oxytocin’s n shit, we here bein’ safe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:34:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22824157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spacecarrots/pseuds/Spacecarrots
Summary: Mad Burnish are Mad hot and not just on the outside.
Relationships: Gueira/Meis (Promare), Lio Fotia & Gueira & Meis, Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos, Meis & Galo Thymos
Comments: 5
Kudos: 67





	Beauty Regime

**Author's Note:**

> Okay that's my original summary. But then it became this whole thing where they just talk a little about feelings and I might add more with them watching Mad Max but honestly it's almost 1am and I'm too damn happy wit this. 
> 
> Will edit later and clean up. For now tho here some soft boys uwu🖤
> 
> Edit: be patient, love your friends and don’t forget it’s okay to be vulnerable.
> 
> Also Meis is wearing a The Cure band T bc if that aren’t him

🔺🔺🔺

The fridge at the Mad Burnish apartment has three nail varnishes on its top most shelf, next to the marmalade jam and pickles. Galo asked why one morning grabbing the soy milk for Lio's tea. Lio looks up from the kettle and reaches for one. Licorice black that glimmered blue in the morning light. To keep them cold. He replies. Galo nods. Not understanding but he knows that make up is somehow important to Lio and his former generals. They haven't bought a single thing that wasn’t necessary since the Promare returned to their world. Makeup being in the same boat. But this one is a new addition. 

"What are you doing Saturday?" They're at the Burning Rescue firehouse. Lio is at Remi's desk studying. He's going to be a firefighter. Ignis made the point that sometimes firefighters have to start fires to stop them, and sometimes it is necessary to watch it burn. Lio had stayed up all night to figure out the steps he needed to take to join. But for now he prepared for written exams while Galo pinned up new newspaper articles and pictures of them on the cork board behind him. Lio hums. 

"Mad Burnish Night." 

"Oh already?" Falls out of Galo's mouth before he can measure his response. Because it's only every month but every night without Lio around feels like an eternity. Lio turns and leans an arm on the back of his chair. Galo whines as he hears the chair creak, and turns ready to apologise. 

"It's not because I don't want to be around you, Galo." He says, calm, collected. Galo blushes and shakes his head. 

"Sorry, I'm just…" 

"Jealous?" Lio asks, with a smirk and a mischievously raised eyebrow. Galo huffs and fold his arms. 

"No." He pouts. Lio stands and pinches his chin. Galo tries to fight looking at him but Lio is like having glitter on your nose. He looks down and drops his arms, immediately disarmed by the fond smile on his face. 

"You're an idiot, Galo Thymos." 

"Are you free friday?" Lio chuckles, and reaches up on his tiptoes. Galo leant down to meet him for a soft peck on the lips. 

"Friday, I'm all yours." He sighs against his lips. And steals himself another. 

"So are you…" Galo makes a sort of mixing motion with his hands and Lio, digging through their fast food bag pauses. Squints. Then looks up to Galo. The last time he'd looked like that he'd sent a tiny explosion to scorch his nose. "You know with Meis and Gueira…do you…" 

They're sitting on a bench at the park overlooking the downtown dog park. One of the only parks that survived the dust cloud Project Parnassus caused. They have fast food, fine weather, and a view. But right now Galo is looking at the ducks who are looking at him almost like they're judging him, like they might start shaking their heads in disapproval.  _ Drop it man. _

Galo closes his mouth. 

"Are you asking me if we have sex-" 

"NO!" Galo squawks. 

"We used to." Galo is about to reply but whatever shovel he was using to dig himself a grave gets lost. "Is that a problem?" Lio asks. Galo just stairs, and frowns. No, it's not that Lio is mad, he's worried, scared even. It's just that all those looks look alike and Galo didn't ask because he's still learning to see between them. "We haven't…" he says quietly as if Galo would be mad they had. But he doesn't know that. Lio doesn't know that Galo would be fine and Galo's mind tumbles over himself as he comes to this realisation. 

"Lio, It's fine I wasn't- asking if you had," he makes a vague hand gesture, because he doesn't know the specifics. Yet, he hopes. " _ History."  _ He lands on, and looks to Lio to see him frowning again. This one looks mad too, but then he sees the confusion in his eyes. "I mean, I kind of guessed?" He frames it as a question. Because if he thinks about it long enough, lines the pieces next to one another, the answer is well why not. Meis is gay, Gueira disasterously bi, and Lio in between. And Lio often tells him that being a leader was its own isolation, one they all had to bear. Who better to understand it that those highest in his ranks. Hell, Lio talked about Gueira and Meis as "Gueira and Meis" so often that the pair were just a harmonised picture of pink and blue in his mind that represented the idea of them. They were all so close. And Galo felt twelve again and envious.

"You're not mad?" Lio asks calmly. But the frown is still set in his brow. 

"Why would I be mad that two other people love you as much as I do?" Galo says.

The frown on Lio's forehead disappear. His eyes are wide, his youth all too visible in their hues of lilac, as he drops his head to hide his blush. 

"Sometimes I can't believe you exist." Lio says so quietly it makes Galo's heart skip a beat. 

"Oh, well, the world needs idiots I guess." He says nervously reaching for the food bag and quickly unwrapping his burger. He takes a bite and looks away. But what he misses is the fearse little look Lio gives him as his head snaps up. 

"Galo." Lio says. There's something shaky in his voice. Galo stops chewing and looks to him. "I love you." 

Now it's Galo's turn to blush. He drops his chin and rubs his neck. "Th-thank." He says swallowing his food and almost chokes trying to fix the break in his voice at the same time. "Thanks." He says again after clearing his throat and lowering the timber of his voice. They sit and eat in silence for a moment. Watching the ducks dip in and out of the water effortlessly. Lio eats his burger quietly next to him. Sometimes closing his eyes and taking in deep breaths between mouth fulls. Galo can't help but stare in these tiny moments. Wondering what it is that he's thinking about. His mind usually falls on,  _ damn that must be some good food.  _

It's 5pm. They're outside the tiny apartment Lio lives in with the entity known as Meis and Gueira. Outside the door, Galo hands him his shopping bag and pecks him on the cheek. 

"I'll see you Monday." He says, Because the weekends, though made for just Saturdays usually bleed further past the night. Galo feels a pang of jealousy again. He wishes he knew what it was they did. So much of Lio and his Mad Burnish is a mystery to him. He just wants to be all in. He wants to know every inch of Lio inside and out. But Galo just watches him put his keys in the door and the shopping bags down. He turns to Galo and stretches up on his tiptoes. 

"Monday." He says, And closes his eyes. Galo smiles and cups the back of his head, tangling his fingers with silk platinum blonde and pressing his lips to Lio's. Long and lavished, breathing in the scent of brimstone and citrus. Memorising the soft satire weight in his hands. Lio's leather creeks as he raises his hands to take Galo's jacket in his fists. It's the only sound next to the soft breaths they take between kisses. Then the door clicks and Meis opens the door. 

Galo doesn't recognise him for a moment. Gueira's not on his shoulder or leaning on the door frame. And Meis isn't himself either. Instead of his form fitting and sleek rock and roll look, he's in a huge black band t-shirt that has the face of a man with his chin in his hands, and his dark hair in a messy bun. 

He averted his eyes when he saw them. But Galo only smiles. 

"Hey," he says brightly. "Where's Gueira?" Meis looks up, and swallows, averts his eyes. He's not wearing his usually dark wing liner and blue eyeshadow either, and Galo notices the redness in his eyes. When he doesn't reply, Lio turns to him, frowning again. Meis shakes his head and Lio looks to Galo. 

"Nothing?" Lio asks. Meis doesn't say anything but between the fly aways from his bun Galo sees him crying. "Galo, can you…" Galo picks up the shopping as Lio pulls Meis inside, closes the door, and sits him down on the sofa. Galo's been here enough times to know the buildings layout inside and out. But tonight it's dimly lit, there are blankets, duvets and hoodies piled on the sofa, that Meis' slight frame might disappear into as he sits slowly not unlike a falling feather. There's popcorn and cigarettes, and the three nail polishes from the top of the fridge too. There was supposed to be love here. But right now with their dark decor it looked abandoned. "When was the last time you saw him?" Lio asks. 

"One o'clock." Meis says quietly. Galo puts the frozens in the freezer as quietly as possible. The milk in the fridge and eggs in the basket. "I went back to bed, fell asleep and when I woke up…"

Galo joins Lio. Unsure as to whether he's allowed to see this let alone stay. They're talking about Gueira. But the way that Meis looks so haunted and hollow, and the way Lio moves into what they joked was his  _ ‘business mode’ _ , it seems this has happened before. And not for the better.

“Okay." Lio says. "Do you have any idea where he might be?" 

Meis is silent. He says something Galo can't quite catch and Lio nods curtly. Lio takes his hands and squeezes them in his own before standing. "Galo." He said, urgant and calm. "Can you stay with Meis?" Galo is shocked more than anything but the emergency of the situation is far too familiar and he nods his own curt confirmation. He pulls Galo to the door by the arm, leaving the shadow of Meis to be enveloped by blankets. "I need to find Gueira." He says, "I think he's gone out drinking but…" Lio frowns. 

"Go find him." Galo replies. "I'll stay with Meis, you find Gueira, if anything happens Remi is on duty today." Lio nods once, twice, maybe trying to dislodge the thought of needing Remi or anyone on the other end of 911 call. 

"I won't be long." He says, for both their ears and dashes down the hall. 

Meis is quiet. Period. But never this quiet. He doesn't move, he doesn't make any physical expression of emotion in his body, in his face, in his breath. The only expression of pain he shows is the tears that roll down his cheeks every now and then. Between Galo reading text updates from Lio and keeping an eye on the local news on his phone he feels useless as he sees one of Lio's closest friends turn to stone without the others. When there's no news and Lio asks how Meis is Galo falters. He doesn't know. He does, he's not okay, he's alive. When Galo doesn't immediately reply back, Lio says:  _ ok, just keep him company.  _

So Galo puts his phone away, goes to get a glass of water, and approaches the long haired boy noisily but slowly. Makes himself known and steels himself.

"Here." Galo says softly. Squats down and offers him the drink. Meis doesn't move. His eyes turn to the water though. Red, tired and old on his young body. He's the same age as Galo. But in so many ways so much older. Galo puts the water on the coffee table and takes a breath. He stands and sits next to Meis on the sofa. Cautiously, he raises his arm and puts it around his shoulders. 

They sit there, Galo carefully holding Meis' shoulder, while Meis just exists. A long minute passes while Galo wonders if he's being too much again. Until Meis starts crying again, his mind hitching on something painful again and rubs his arm.

It's another few seconds before Meis leans into his side and Galo sees for the first time, him close his eyes tightly and brace his mouth against an oncoming sob. Galo just comforts him. Rubbing circles into his arm, and eventually putting one of the blankets around his shoulder. 

When he does Meis turns his head, slow and creaky (Galo thinks he hears something click) his hands come to the edges of the blanket and cling tightly. With skinny hands he pulls the blanket around him and buries his face in the fleece fabric over his shoulders. He makes a small muffled sob. And falls into Galo's side. He sobs quietly, muffled in the blanket and Galo's jacket. With soft  _ shhh _ ’s and  _ hushh _ ’s _ ,  _ like soft working waves he rubs Meis back. 

When he was very little his mother would do the same. And when he's alone and things are too much he does it for himself. It's not the same. But it reminds him of it just as much. 

"I wish," Meis wheezes through dry mouth and snot. "I wish I could help him." 

Galo squeezes him gently. He has no idea what could possibly be going on but he still frowns at the statement because he clearly means Gueira, and if not Lio. So he asks: "What makes you think you're not helping him?" 

"I don't know what it's like. I don't know what to do for him, what to say…" Meis is speaking in a whisper against Galo and wipes a tear from his eye. "He's grieving and…" 

When Meis doesn't continue he asks: "Aren't you too?" 

Meis shifts, looks up to him, frowning in confusion. Frowning really was the default setting for the leaders of Mad Burnish. When it wasn't wicked laughter they were all worrying deep trenches in their brow. "Grieving." Galo confirms. 

Meis averts his eyes. "Is it obvious?" 

"To me." Galo nods. "It's a familiar face." He says, and hopes Meis thinks he means work. And only work. Not his own face looking back at him in the mirror on key dates in the calendar. 

"I just want to be strong for him." Meis looks sad when he says this. As if he wasn't the one Galo had been sure would never speak to him, let alone comfort him.

"Is that what he needs?" Galo asks innocently. 

This time Meis doesn't reply. They sit in silence until Galo's phone buzzes. Galo pulls it out of his pocket and sees it Lio. He breathes a sigh and as he puts his phone down Meis is looking up at him eyes wide and waiting. There's something sweet about him and Galo smiles. 

"They're on their way back." 

Meis' shoulders drop, a fraction of an inch. Galo doesn't realise the tension in his body until it's not there anymore and a little fire returns to Meis' blue grey eyes. He sighs too and closes his eyes. 

When Lio gets back. Gueira is leaning heavily on his shoulder. His head slumped and his eyebrow bloody. As the door shuts Gueira raises his head and looks over at Meis with a worry and guilt ridden expression. It takes Meis not two seconds to untangle himself from his blanket and rush over to him. Buries his head in his neck, kisses his cheek, and wraps his arms around his head. Gueira lets go of Lio and takes a death grip on Meis' shoulders as he begins to shake. Meis is no longer skinny and fragile in his hold, he is a rock taking the force of the waves made torrential in a storm no one could see but Gueira. 

Lio breathes and walks over to Galo. Meets his eyes when he looks up, and smiles before dropping his forehead to his, taking tight firstfulls of hair in his hands. Galo holds him by his waist and nudges his nose until Lio's smile comes easier. 

"Asshole got kicked out of a bar for starting a fight and didn't want to upset us." Lio shakes his head and his bangs brush against Galo's eyelashes, he squints as he smiles. 

"What?" 

"He decided sitting in the middle of the desert, drunk and bleeding was better than coming home." 

There's muffled protest from across the room, and they both lift their heads to see Meis one with Gueira's jacket and Gueira pouting on his shoulder. 

"I was waiting for it to heal" He protests before dropping his face back into Meis' collar. Red brown eyes miserably looking at Lio. Because it didn't heal. Not at the rate he was hoping at least. His eyebrow had a neat little cut, nothing a plaster wouldn't fix but it was the head and the head was dramatic like that and wanted everyone to know  _ hey, I’m bleeding _ . Or that's what Galo gathered Gueira was mumbling into Meis' t-shirt. 

Lio smiles fondly at them though disapproving and tells him to go get cleaned up. He doesn't move immediately. Looks up. Then to the side of Meis' head. A look crosses his face like he's listening closely then he nods. And Meis unfuses himself from Gueira, takes his hand and guides him into their room. There's a soft  _ click _ as a door closes. 

Lio detches himself from Galo to take off his jacket. Puts it neatly on the back of one of the kitchen table chairs.

"Thank you." Lio says. "For staying with him." 

"Oh," Galo replies and stands. It's still Saturday. "No problem." 

"He looked okay when we got back" Lio says, going to the kitchen to unpack the remaining shopping. "I honestly thought I'd find him the same way I left him." 

"He bottles a lot up, huh?" Galo asks, picking up some cheese and passing it to Lio. He busies himself alongside Lio. Trying not to think about how he has to leave soon and think about all of this when he gets home. He's not gonna sleep tonight he's sure. 

Lio stops mid opening a cupboard. Hand resting on the handle. He nods. "Sometimes things are too much for him to express right. So he just locks up. And the only means of expression any of us has ever known has been through Burnish. Though the Promare." 

"That's why you make time, isn't it?" Galo says. It's all so clear now. The nights that bleed into weekends, the junk food, the comfortable blankets. Why Lio sometimes came back looking better, with either his hair freshly dyed or his frown lighter. 

"We joke that it's our sad sleepover. But really it's proactive feeling." Lio chuffs and raises his head from the cupboard door, looks up to Galo with a smirk. "At least that's what I say. Most of the time we just watch a movie, and more often than not one of us is at a point where they need people that understand around them. And we're here." He straightens himself and opens the cupboard, puts the boxes of mac and cheese, tins of soup. "Right." He breathes. The kitchen is clear. Galo nods and closes the fridge, time to go. "What are you hungry for?" Lio asks. "Pizza?" 

Galo blinks. Focuses on Lio’s soft smile. "You want me to…"

Lio tilts his head, fondly measuring Galo. It's an odd look he doesn't quite understand. But he thinks it's of love. 

"I think Meis' might want to steal some more of your body heat when he gets back." Lio is toe to toe with him now. He pats him on his chest and smirks. 

"Really?" Galo asks. Lio kisses him. 

"Really." He replies. "So, inferno volcano margherita mega max pizza?" Before he can even finish Galo wraps Lio up in his arms and squeezes him close. 

"I love you." He tells him. Lio laughs. 

Lio isn't wrong. Galo takes off his coat and shoes and jeans, and once the snacks are out Lio clears him a little space on the sofa. He puts on sweatpants and one of the hoodies Galo had wondered the whereabouts of, and practically puts himself in Galo's lap.

And when Meis returns, Gueira in toe, pink in the face and somewhat sobered up in a limp bizkit t-shirt and shorts, they don't give Galo a second glance until Meis sits next to him. He gives him a wan smile. Thank you, maybe. And Galo returns it tenfold. 

Before he knows it Lio is resting his head on his shoulder with one hand in Galo's and the other on the tv remote. And pressed up to his side, Meis, playing with Gueira's curls in his lap. It is comfortable and warm and Gueira leaps up to get the pizza from the door. He gives Galo his pizza first, gives him a look that might be an apology or a thank you he's not sure but when they start bickering over what movie to watch Gueria declares Galo should pick. And once he recommends Mad Max, in Gueria's book, Galo gets to pick the movie from here on out. A sentiment that does something to Galo's chest that feels like  _ belonging. _


End file.
